“We’re really excited to be the first company to provide true integrated Thunderbolt connectivity in the audio interface market,” says UA CEO and Founder, Bill Putnam, Jr. “We’ve worked hand-in-hand with Intel to create rock-solid Thunderbolt connectivity for Apollo, and we are looking forward to seeing the impact this important step forward has on the digital recording community.”

The user-installable Thunderbolt Option Card includes two Thunderbolt ports, and easily slides into the expansion bay of Apollo. Bus power is provided to all downstream Thunderbolt peripherals, allowing music producers to connect devices in series with the Apollo interface — including hard drives, processors, and computer.

When the Thunderbolt Option Card is engaged, Apollo’s FireWire 800 ports are instantly reconfigured as a hub for connecting FireWire devices — such as a hard drive or UAD-2 Satellite.

“Thunderbolt technology makes possible a whole new class of products to enhance music production workflow and creativity,” says Jason Ziller, Director of Marketing and Planning for Thunderbolt technology at Intel Corporation. “Products like Universal Audio’s Apollo are using Thunderbolt to rock music producers’ worlds.”

Available from authorized Universal Audio dealers worldwide, the Thunderbolt Option Card is now shipping with an estimated street price of $499 in the United States.